Imperial Valley, southern California and northern Mexico. False-color
satellite image, in which active vegetation appears red and pink. The All American
Canal enters right side of scene and flows westward just north of the U.S.-Mexican
border. This is the "last tap" from the Colorado River on the U.S. side of the border.
Bright red irrigated cropland is evident in the Imperial Valley of the United States, but
crops have less irrigation water in Mexico. Image from NASA
GSFC.

The central United States generally have abundant surface water, and there is little
irrigation. Navigable rivers are maintained primarily for shipping. A large
volume of barge traffic plies up and down the Mississippi and Ohio rivers, and a lesser
volume moves on the lower Missouri. Agricultural produce (mainly grain) moves downstream, and
petroleum products are transported upstream. Between Minneapolis and St. Louis, the
Mississippi is controlled by a series of low dams and locks to facilitate this transportation
system.

Niagara River, New York and Ontario. False-color satellite image, in
which active vegetation appears red and pink. Lake Ontario, in upper left corner, and
Lake Erie, scene bottom, are connected by the Niagara River (scene center). Niagara Falls
represents a major barrier to
navigation between the Great Lakes and the Atlantic. The main connection across Ontario is
the Welland Canal, visible near left side of scene. The New York State Barge Canal (NYSBC)
is depicted in the upper right part of the scene. The Welland is the prinicpal commercial
shipping route, whereas the NYSBC is now used mainly for pleasure craft. Image from NASA GSFC.

Old Erie Canal

The old Erie Canal was the first major water-works project
in the United States, built in 1817-1825. It proved the practicality
of large-scale water diversions without upsetting the
environment. The canal connected Lake Erie to the New York harbor
tidewater in a multi-level route that followed the local terrain
and was fed by local water sources. The original canal was
40 feet wide and 4 feet deep, 363 miles long, and had 81 locks. Water
flow in the canal was required for several purposes (Langbein 1976).

Filling the canal at the beginning of each spring season.

Water for lockage = water loss from higher to lower levels.

Water loss by seepage through the berm and towpath banks.

Water diverted for industrial power useage.

Flooding and droughts were perennial problems for the old
Erie Canal. Little was known about surface-water hydrology when
the canal was built, and it became a large laboratory for hydrologic
measurements. The canal was initially a great economic success,
which led to a boom in canal building. Many "branch" canals were
constructed, including the Chenango Canal, although none proved economically successful.

In older times, the entrance to the Baltic Sea was controlled by the
Danish Kingdom, and tolls collected from passing ships were an important source of royal
revenue. In order to avoid this expense, a canal was constructed across southern Sweden
from Göteborg (near map center), via large lake basins, to the eastern coast. An
industrial center grew up at Trollhättan based on the canal and water power. Map
taken from Hippocrene Atlas of Europe (1985/86).

The Augustów Canal was conceived as a result of the partition of Poland, when Prussia
(Germany) gained control of the lower Vistula River. Prussian customs duties effectively
closed trade to the Baltic seaports. The canal was built as a waterway to bypass Prussia.
The canal route joins the Vistula to the Nieman River in what is now Byelarus with downstream
outlet to the Baltic. A network of regulated rivers and lakes was utilized with canal links
at Augustów. Construction began in 1825 and after some interruption was completed
in 1839. The canal was quite active during its first 20 years, but thereafter lost its
economic significance. Today it is used mainly for touristic purposes, and since 1968 has
been protected as a monument to early industrial water transport and engineering (Gielzynski
et al. 1994).

Map of the Augustów canal, just right of map center. The canal
provides a link between various lakes and rivers in the Mazurian upland region.
From Polska Mapa Fizyczna (1988).

The Elblag canal connects the Vistula estuary at tidewater with Ostróda in the Mazurian
upland lake district. This canal was constructed under the Prussian regime during the period
1845-60 (Gielzynski et al. 1994). It begins at the city of Elblag and extends southward
through the low delta region, then ascends into the Mazurian upland, where it follows a series
of lakes belonging to the Illawa chain, to the city of Ostróda. The canal has an unusual
means for transporting boats from one level to another. The canal is utilized today mainly by
tourists.

Map of the Gdansk-Elblag region of northern Poland. The Elblag Canal
begins at tidewater in the Vistula estuary (Zalew Wislany). It extends through Lake Druzno
just south of Elblag. This lake was open to the Vistula estuary during the Middle Ages, but
the connection later dried up. From Polska Mapa Fizyczna (1988).

Map of northern Germany. The Rhine River in western Germany is a major
international waterway that extends to the North Sea. It is linked via a network of canals
that follow glacial valleys across the country to the north and east to the Baltic Sea and
the Odra River on the German-Polish border.

The Eberswalde Gap is a natural opening in the upland of eastern Germany to the Odra lowland
along the German-Polish border. This gap is the location of a "ship lift" at Niederfinow.
The ship lift is the only one of its kind in the world. It connects an old channel of the
Odra River at 2 m above sealevel to a canal in the "gap" at 36 m above sealevel. The lift
is essentially an "elevator" that raises/lowers ships in a water tub. Huge counter weights
balance the lift, which is run by electric motors. This ship lift was considered so
important, that is was not destroyed during World War II.

Map of eastern Germany and western Poland. The ship lift at Eberswalde is
located northeast of Berlin. From Polska Mapa Fizyczna (1988).